STRENGTHS
Rashaad is a big, hard running, fast running back who will hit the hole faster than a chipmunk running back to its den to get away from his mortal enemy…the fox. He is quick to gain top speed before you hand him the ball so by the time he gets to the line scrimmage if the defense is not ready for him Rashaad will blow right by them like a gust of wind. He has good quick feet and has the ability to side step tackles. When he hits the open field he can make it difficult for any secondary to corral him in and tackle him. He is a one speed type of running back making his yardage because of that lighting ability to hit his top speed before you hand him the ball. He can catch the ball and can be used as a check down receiver and for screens gaining yardage in chunks once again… because of his lightning like quickness. Rashaad is a perfect back for an offensive that uses a zone blocking scheme for its running game.

CONCERNS
Rashaad can gain a lot of yards but he does run high and injuries could be in his future with that style of running. He hasn’t fumbled in college but running high opens the ball up to the defense and he could struggle with this issue at the next level. But that’s nit picking. The biggest issue I see on film is blocking for his quarterback and reading defenses to pick up blitzes and stunts. He doesn’t look like he has a clue who to block or the techniques on how to block. I notice when he runs he also runs so hard he doesn’t have good vision and truly needs a good offensive line blocking for him because with this lack of vision he struggles to make yardage on his own. He also is lined up deep and runs well behind a fullback but when lineup side by side in the shot gun he struggles to make yardage because he is closer to the line and lacks the lateral agility to make the defense miss him in the back field.

BOTTOM LINE
Basically Rashaad is a systems style running back and the system he excels in is not the spread offensive system. He would be a good running back for a play action vertical offensive system but he lacks the blocking skills to help out and that is a big issue. Because he is lined up so deep and requires that style (so that he can hit the line of scrimmage at full speed) his lack of reading defenses becomes a big negative that will affect his ability to stay on the field for all three downs unless he can prove that he can be used as a slot receiver. So in selecting Rashaad, there are a lot of “if’s” and “butt’s’ that will need to be answered and the true answer’s will not be known until after Rashaad is drafted and playing on the field and proves he can block and read defenses on the fly and not just in a class room. Being a systems running back will affect Rashaad’s draft status in spite of the fact that he has been a productive back for his college team. A team that has a smart, innovative offensive coaching staff would be the type of team that Rashaad can become an impact running back for. After all, he has proven that he can be an impact player at the college level with some smart coaching so there is no reason why he can’t be at the next level. I mean he is big, fast, and strong and he is one of the hardest running backs in this draft.

Drew Boylhart   MAR.2018